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Summary

He wants to press his face against Betty’s neck and feel her fingers tangling in his hair. He wants Archie’s elbow digging into his side, eyebrows raised like he’s in on the joke. He wants his father’s hand on his shoulder, telling him he made the right choice.

But Toni is the one who is here, the one whose hand rests on his back as she guides him into his bedroom, the one whose fingers push his hair out of his eyes, the one whose voice says, softly, go to sleep.

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Summary

“You okay?” he asks. “Was it too fast?”

She knows he means the ride here, from the hospital to Pop’s, but she also knows that he’s Jughead, that every word out of his mouth comes layered with at least five possible interpretations. She thinks of his mouth on her neck, how she would’ve had to stop him even if the Serpents hadn’t shown up, lest he leave a mark behind. (Vague statements to her mother were one thing; physical evidence for the whole world to see was another.)

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Summary

“Stay with me.”

He looks down at her, a slight grin on his face, like he thinks she’s joking. “Right. Like your mom doesn’t have a sniper rifle aimed at my forehead at this very moment.”

“I’m serious,” Betty says softly. She presses her face into the crook of his neck, her mouth just barely touching the place that she knows will drive him crazy. A shiver ripples through him, and she smiles. “I want you to stay.”

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Summary

Things in Riverdale are feeling – better. Brighter. Archie’s dad had finally returned home from the hospital, and so far the Serpents’ offer of protection to Jughead had remained just that, and not the thinly-veiled threat that Betty had feared. Even Cheryl Blossom had returned to school at the beginning of the week, albeit in a much more limited wardrobe, sans her signature red lipstick.

Riverdale is moving on. Betty is moving on – and she wants Jughead to come with her.

Summary

Veronica comes over after school on Monday, a stack of magazines, poster board and glue sticks in tow. She makes a fashion mood board in anticipation of every season, and insists Betty create one for spring as well. Betty hasn’t actually read a magazine in years – and doesn’t know what sort of magazines are showcasing spring fashion already, with Christmas still a few weeks off – but she sits on her bed and flips idly through a thick copy of Harper’s Bazaar, while Veronica works through her stack at Betty’s desk, brisk and methodical.

Summary

The thing is: until Rebecca, Greg had never told a girl he loved her before.

And if he’s honest with himself – which is kind of his thing lately – the reason it had flowed out of him so easily, first at the duck pond, and then at the airport, was that he had known she wouldn’t say it back.

(Greg gets out of town, and learns how hard it is to grow up. Set post-2.04, "When Will Josh and His Friend Leave Me Alone?")

Summary

There’s a boy outside that night, too, standing at the end of his own driveway, and she doesn’t notice him until he’s just a few feet away. He’s blond, tanned, well-fed. His hand stretches out with a match in offering, and after a moment’s hesitation, she leans in. She can feel her heartbeat pulsing through her body, down to the soles of her feet, and the heat of his hands as they cup around the little flame is so close that she can feel it on the skin of her mouth.

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Summary

“And I’m excited to introduce you to my brothers,” Peeta adds, flashing me a grin as he squeezes my hand. “But most of all…” He lowers his voice. “I can’t wait to get you alone.” He punctuates that remark with a soft kiss right on my neck, leaving no doubt as to his meaning.

(Pre-Catching Fire; Katniss never comes clean to Peeta about their relationship. Originally written for the F4LLS charity drive.)